."

I wiped the sweat off my forehead.

"Will you smoke?" said Lord Brethe, producing a cigar-case.

"Ah, thanks," said Berry. With the tail of my eye I saw that it was a
Corona Corona. By this time I had taken the pipe down. It was choked
with a regular wad of dirt. I remembered bitterly that, when I left
them at Strasburg, I had begged them never to fill up without a filter.

"So that was the obstruction?" said his lordship.

I straightened my back.

"Comes of not using a filter, my lord."

Berry's brows contracted. He touched the wad with his foot. "No," he
said loftily. "This has clearly worked in from the engine. It is a
piece of valve-packing."

I sighed. Heaven only knows what he thought he meant. But old Brethe
lapped it up. Heavily I began to replace the pipe. As I unscrewed
them, I put the nuts on the step. Now one was missing. It had rolled
off.

"Lost something?" said Berry.

"A nut, sir. I shall see it directly."

"Never put anything where it can roll off, man. When you are executing
a repair, always lay your tools on the ground and mark the place. It's
quicker in the long run. Found it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Wipe it carefully before replacing it."

He turned to Lord Brethe. "You'll excuse me, but you can't be too
careful, can you?"

"No, indeed. Quite right, quite right," said the old fool. "We're
none of us too old to learn."

The repair was finished at last. I started up the engine, just
to make sure she was all right, put away the tools, wiped my hands on a
piece of cotton-waste, and resumed my seat in my lady's car without a
word.

The girl, looking flushed and anxious, followed her aunt into the car.
Lord Brethe climbed in after them. The others stood round.

"It's been awfully kind of you to lend us your chauffeur like this,"
said Daphne. "I don't know--"

"Oh--er--that's all right," stammered the girl.

"Only too glad," said Lord Brethe. "Mr. Pleydel's been very good and
given him several wrinkles well worth having."

"Don't mention it," said Berry, with a smirk.

"Here you are, my man." I took the crown he offered me in silence and
raised my hat. A crown is worth ten pence. As I was letting in the
clutch, I heard Jill's voice on my left.

"Thank you very much indeed for helping us so beautifully," she said,
and laid her posy of wild flowers on the seat by my side.

"Thank you, madam."

As we moved off:

"What a queer child!" said Lady Breth